JMT Side Trips / Peak Bagging /

Mount Ritter.

When you are around Thousand Island Lake, you can head over to the saddle between Mount Ritter and Banner Peak, then up the Class 3 route on Ritter. Of course you need to be comfortable on Class 3. If you don't like the looks of it, then try Banner Peak instead, which is slightly easier.

–B.G.–

Thanks Bob! This is exactly what I'm talking about!!!

-Brad

Climb to Cirque Pass from Palisade lakes.

Brad

These are all in the SEKI section, but below are some of the places I've come across in planning from North Lake to Whitney. All peaks have class 2 routes that are pretty well-described online. From north to south:

McGee Lakes
Davis Lake
Black Giant
Ionian Basin
Dusy Basin
Cross-country from Dusy Basin through Palisade Basin to Palisade Lakes (via Knapsack, Potluck, Cirque passes)
Split Mtn
Bench Lake
60 Lake Basin
Kearsarge Lakes / Pinnacles
University Peak
Tawny Point

Of these I have been to Dusy Basin and 60 Lake Basin and both are definitely worth a detour.

Another good one might be Mount Goddard, near Muir Pass. It's a few miles off the trail, and it is slightly over 13,500'. It can be reached from small lake 12260, then up the southeast ridge which leads to the southwest ridge to the summit, of which there are two points. At the time, we didn't know which one the true summit was, so we hit the first one, climbed through the notch, and over to the second one.

–B.G.–

Just wanted to thank everyone again for all the great info.

Brad

Hi Brad, thanks for the PM re Mt Ritter. I found this site with a lot of photos: http://www.mtritter.org/mtritter/lucky7/route99.html

Split Mtn and Black Giant always seemed like good ones. Or Columbine.

Hey John. I like the Disclaimer!